Right wing leader in NZ slams gay marriage as 'not normal'

A right-wing politician in New Zealand has says gay relationships are 'not normal' as country debates legalizing same-sex marriage.

Conservative Party leader Colin Craig told followers on the social networking site today (27 July) that 'It's just not intelligent to pretend that homosexual relationships are normal.'

His comments were in response to the Definition of Marriage Amendment Bill, which was sponsored by lesbian Labour MP Louisa Wall and chosen to be debated in parliament yesterday (26 July).

Craig tweeted: 'It is important that marriage remains between a man and a woman'.

'A tiny minority want to change the rules of the game to suit themselves, and that isn't right,' he said, reported TVNZ.

'It's time for all New Zealanders who recognise the importance of marriage being between a man and a woman to stand up and be heard, because our Parliamentarians lack the backbone to do it.'

Yesterday's bill was one of five drawn from a pool of 62 bills in the Members’ Bill Ballot.

New Zealand’s Green Party, with 14 MPs, fully supports gay marriage and MPs in all parties will be allowed a free conscience vote on the issue. If they vote according to the electorate’s wishes - a poll in June showed that 63% support same-sex marriage - the bill is likely to go through.

Civil unions have been legal for same-sex couples since 2005 in New Zealand, but the campaign for gay marriage shows that they are not considered adequate, even though they give people the same legal rights as married couples.